Gig report: Flaming June @ The Mill Road Winter Fair, Cambridge

Band: Flaming June
Venue: The Mill Road Winter Fair, Cambridge (Cambridge 105 live broadcast)
Date: 01/12/12
Audience: A scattering of cold people, coming and going
Set: Stop The Ride, Rumplestiltskin, New Song, Nerves Of Steel, Little Love In A Cruel World, New Song, Psycho, Wednesdays And Weekends
Notes: That was a cold one. The Mill Road Winter Fair in Cambridge is a joyous thing because the full vibrancy of the city we live in is on full display - in a really Christmassy kind of way. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that when it's the Mill Road Winter Fair it's officially the start of Christmas, which can only be a good thing. It was freezing cold out there today, not my preferred conga playing conditions, but very well spirited and our set (today as a duo) was being broadcast live on local station, Cambridge 105. It's very rare for a radio session to be more than a couple songs, but we had a half an hour set today and played in the bitter conditions in a little tent right next to the main road. Played well I think - Louise did especially, I never fully warmed up but was in time so people didn't notice anything particularly wrong. Perhaps the thing I like most about Flaming June is the fact Louise really keeps me on my toes; she put two songs into the set today that I'd never even heard before, slightly daunting for a radio broadcast but it keeps things exciting and she's certainly prolific. As our stage was in between a main road and a path we had a lot of passers by, many of whom stayed for a couple songs before seeing what else is on - that's to be expected with so much happening at the same time. And as always for these things it's nice to bump into briefly people you know but didn't expect to see - Shaun 'Comfy Badger' Esgate, Eva from Dowsing For Sound, Jacqui from Jacqui & Geoff, Liz's mate Daphne (who came to the new material night last night and also the Norwich performance of the 'Some Plays...' tour), my parents' next door neighbour, and at least three people who I vaguely recognised who wanted to chat to me afterwards about things we blatantly have in common if only I could remember who they actually are. Full credit to Izzy, Jack and Hodge who stayed for the whole set in the ridiculous weather, their support entirely appreciated. A very different gig, but good fun all the same.